1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multiple-body aircraft and more particularly to a tri-body aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Patent Literature
U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,102 to Carroll, issued Mar. 4, 1975 is illustrative of a cargo aircraft having a non-pressurized hull which can comprise a number of substantially identical hull modules defining a rectangular cargo area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,381 to Wood, issued Apr. 5, 1988 shows a multi-body aircraft with an all-moveable center fuselage which translates relative to two side fuselages without coupling between pressurized multi-body volumes.
Publications
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics publication No. 98-0440 titled xe2x80x9cAn Airplane Configuration with an Inboard Wing Mounted Between Twin Fuselages, a paper provided at the 36th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit Jan. 12-15 1998 at Reno, Nev. A wing is shown mounted between twin tip fuselages.
Future large airplanes, in order to be economically successful, should satisfy the following requirements:
1. Provide lower fuel burn per seat mile and lower Total Airplane Related Operating Costs (TAROC) per seat mile relative to current large aircraft viz. The Boeing 747.
2. Maximize cruise Lift to Drag ratio (L/D), to help enable lower fuel burn per seat mile.
3. Provide low wetted area per seat and low Overall Empty Weight (OEW) per seat, to help enable lower fuel bum per seat mile.
4. Provide large cabin volume per wetted area and large volume per wetted area, to maximize profit potential.
5. Provide combination use or xe2x80x9ccombixe2x80x9d capability to convert some passenger capacity to cargo capacity for some airlines for which revenue cargo is important and for which passenger seat count needs are not as large as for other airlines.
6. Provide a low to modest level of technical risk and certification risk.
The present invention provides a blended wing multiple-body airplane comprising a plurality of fuselage elements which are aerodynamically and structurally blended with a connecting wing element which also carries payload. The wing body blending provides reduced wetted area, and span loading resulting in reduced OEW (Overall Empty Weight) per seat. Large loads are placed where lift is located. The present invention provides conventional flying qualities without need for critical SAS (Stability Augmentation Systems). Fuel burn reduction results from the hereinafter described 3 engines with no aft engine and less weight.